There She Goes
by RememberingThePast
Summary: It didn't happen all at once, despite first appearances
1. There She Goes

It didn't happen all at once, despite first appearances. Sure, the moment he saw her, bright eyes and bright red red hair with a smile that lit up the room, he would have told anyone that he liked her and they would have smirked, not quite believing his declaration. But it was true and it only grew from there.

Once he saw her, her image never left. Her absence left an afterglow that spoke of everything she was and all that he was missing. So, it was no surprise that whenever she decided to drop by for a visit, he'd be the first one to greet her and the last one to see her go.

He wasn't in love, not yet, but he was sure every smile he saw form on her lips brought him that much closer.

* * *

She liked to stop by on Wednesday afternoons. Unannounced and usually silent enough to slip through unnoticed. He'd be the first to spot her peeking into the swimming area, eyes sightly glossy and mouth parted ever so slightly. He'd wave so enthusiastically that his fellow swimmers would snicker at him. But he didn't care. He wanted her to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was welcome no matter the time or place, rain or shine. Everything was perfect as long as she was there.

"Say, Mikoshiba-san," she began one afternoon, her voice soft and perfect and stirring up his insides into a delightful whirlwind of butterflies that threatened to escape if he opened his mouth. "I just wanted to thank you for letting me stop by so often. Not being apart of the school and all, I don't want to cause you any trouble."

He instinctively reached out for her hand, gathering it tenderly between his own. "It's no trouble, no trouble at all! As a matter a fact, stop by more often, we'd be happy to have you!"

When she look up at him with those eyes and smiled, he'd thought he surely die, struck through the heart as he was. And he nearly did, the moment she cast her eyes away. He wanted her to look at him like that again, to always look at him. Though, the moment he felt her hand ever so slightly tighten its grip on his own he was glad she had looked away, so he could try hiding the florescent blush that crept up his neck and flooded his cheeks.

"Thanks," came her soft reply.

He was pretty sure that he died right then.

* * *

However, when Wednesday came and passed and he saw hide nor hair of the Iwatobi manager, it was as if the sea had stolen the wind from his sails. He spent that practice somewhat downtrodden and when one of the first years took notice of his rather sour mood and made the correlation between it and the absence of a certain redhead, he gave the kid such a look that he had jumped in the pool to start his five lap punishment without needing to be told.

He couldn't blame her, or even be angry. The last tournament before most pools closed for Autumn was just around the corner. If Samezuka was busy with training, then Iwatobi had to be too.

So that afternoon as he rode the train back to the dorms, he didn't expect anything. But as he lifted his eyes from the floor, waiting for the train to begin it's departure, he immediately spotted her through the window. She stood just beyond the platform, staring listlessly up at the sky, her phone dangling forgotten in her hand and the afternoon sun bathed her her in a glow that took his breath away. But as he stood, determined to talk to her, to see her smile, to simply be in her presence, the doors shut and the train lurched forward, her image slowly receding into the distance.

* * *

And that's what started it. He'd take the train every afternoon to that sports store just outside of town all in a hope to see her. Every single time the train would pull into the station where he saw her that evening his heart would speed up and his hands would go clammy. However, when the train would stop and the doors would open, she'd be nowhere in sight and he'd let out a sigh he didn't know he'd been holding.

Though, on a rainy Thursday afternoon about a week or so from the tournament, he saw her standing on the platform under her matching red umbrella. It only took a heartbeat to stand and a moment more to be out the door, stumbling on the platform ledge as nonchalantly as humanly possible (begging whichever god was watching that she hadn't seen).

"Hey," he greeted, strolling up to her as cool as he hoped he could be. "Fancy seeing you here."

Upon hearing his voice, she lifted her head and her eyes met his. A small smile played about her lips. "Everything is fancy with you, Mikoshiba-san," she said, a hand coming up to stifle a laugh.

Weightlessness filled him and he couldn't help the big goofy smile that spread over his face. "So, where you headed?"

"Home," she stated, "Had to pick up a few things for the guys. Now I'm just waiting or the train."

"Let me help you," he nearly pleaded, resisting the urge to take the bag and umbrella from her hands.

"I don't want to trouble you, plus home's not far from the station. . ." Her eyes met his own and her voice drifted off on the breeze. "Well, I guess if you don't mind."

"Not at all," he said as the train pulled into the station, plucking the bag and the umbrella from her hands. He gave an elaborate bow, gesturing towards the waiting train, "Lead the way, Gou-kun"

"It's Kou," she said, giving him a light punch on the arm before boarding the train.

It was a quiet ride, but the way she sat close enough for their arms to brush each others made it feel like he was on cloud nine. His palms may have been sweating but she was warm and nothing else seemed to matter.

* * *

Her stop was near the old pier, the smell of saltwater assaulting his nostrils the moment they stepped off the train. "This way," she said, gesturing to the small streets to their left.

"Aye, Aye, captain." Opening the umbrella, he waited until she was safely tucked underneath it's canopy before setting down the road, a skip unmistakeably making its way into his steps.

He was going to tell her. It was no longer a doubt in his mind. Seeing her walk next to him under the same umbrella and the small tilt of of a smile that quirked her lips made him want to gather her in his arms and never let go. Sure, there was doubt. It was what kept his arms at his sides, not quite touching her's besides the time where his and her steps would bring them a little closer under the umbrella. But he had to know, just had to.

And so when they stood in front of her house and he handed her back the bag, he hesitated slightly as she reached for the umbrella in his hand. There was a look of confusion in her eyes, her hand hovering over his own, fingertips gently brushing the skin of hand.

He didn't want to see her go, not again and not without him.

"Uh, G-Kou, I . . . uh," he stuttered and his free hand rose to scratch his chin nervously, but after he took a deep breath and smiled, he squared his jaw and said as sincerely as he possibly could, "I would really like it if you would join me for an after noon, you know, on a. . . a date. Please"

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the refusal in hers, but when he felt her hand close around his own, gently taking the umbrella from his hand, he couldn't help but cautiously pry open an eye.

He saw her smiling.

"I would like that."

_Ah,_ he thought, so _that's what loves feels like._

* * *

_AN: _Cover image by 阿草_御石不足 (pixiv ?id=522142)


	2. Everything in Between

A lot can happen in a year.

* * *

Their first date is near the water, in a small restaurant overlooking the harbor. He dresses up, fancy, because that's how she likes it. She is stunning and he tells her that the exact moment his eyes see her. She blushes and looks away, but she gathers his hand in hers and he's never felt happier.

The date goes more or less without a hitch. He stutters sometimes when he forgets his train of thought and gets caught staring, but she's patient and understanding, so he vows never to give up.

* * *

She likes to steal his jacket. It's large enough to look like she's swimming in it, but that's the reason why she does it. He let's her, the only reason being that even when he's not around he's still holding her.

* * *

Their first kiss is by the pool. He's kicked everybody out early, not exactly something he can do or should for that matter, but when she walks in with cloudy eyes and a frown marring her face, he makes it his job to see that it disappears.

She watches him swim laps. She says she finds it calming, reassuring, something that she always use to do before Rin left and came back a different man. However, he surprises her when, after taking a sudden turn, he pops out of the water just in front of her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Fancy seeing you here," he says, pulling himself out of the water just enough so that he's looking her in the eyes.

She pushes the hair from his eyes and smiles a small smile. "Everything is fancy – " she begins to say.

" – with you," he finishes, leaning in to press his lips softly against hers and he feels her smile against his lips.

When he leans back, a blush stains her cheeks, but suddenly she's grinning and pushes him playfully back into the water.

He yelps, grabbing a hold of her sleeve as he starts to fall back and they both go plunging into the water. She finds that there is nothing more uplifting than his laughter.

* * *

She likes to buy him things. Stupid things. Like a pen with a built in stop watch or note pad with ocean stationary. But when she shows up to practice, he's using them and nobody says a word about it.

* * *

They don't fight often, but when they do it's violent (her) and verbal (him). It is a shock to the both of them, but they learn to work it out. He buys her flowers, of all kinds and shapes, and skips the second half classes to wait for her outside her school. She, knowing he likes to take walks, tugs him by the hand on their way home that day, leading him through a park that is long forgotten and beautiful. It's fall, and the leaves are changing, and she finds halfway through their walk he's leading her, wearing that silly smile she's seen him show only to her.

* * *

They're both vocal people, but they learn to enjoy silence.

It's his first night at the Matsuoka residence, and he sits awkwardly on the couch as she puts in a movie. Its awkward at first, but when she worms her way into his side not even a quarter of the way through the movie (seeking warmth in winter) and falls asleep with her head on his shoulder, there's this indescribable feeling in his chest as he brushes aside a lock of hair from her face.

The movie is terrible and it doesn't take him long to fall asleep, too. Though, a rude awakening comes in the form of Rin, who screams out of shock when he makes a surprise visit home only to find the captain curled around his little sister on the couch.

* * *

"Say, Sei-kun, how long has it been?"

"Hmm?" he hums, looking down at her where she stands near his side. "What do you mean?" he asks as he picks out a cherry blossom that has fallen on her head.

"How long as it been since this happened?" she repeats, holding up their entwined hands as evidence.

"Hmm," he hums again. "Just about a year, I guess."

She seems satisfied and silence envelops them. It doesn't bother either of them, they learn quickly that silence doesn't necessarily mean anything bad, but today it seems different to him, and he's not sure if he likes it. So, he does the one thing that's been proven to make her smile. He gathers her in his arms, hoisting her up so that it's him who has to tilt his head back. She rests her hands on his shoulders and lowers her forehead and bumps it against his own.

_There it is,_ he thinks as the smile surfaces and he places a kiss on her chin. He sets her gently back on the ground, entwining their fingers once more.

"Do you think there will be more?" She asks him not too long later. There is a hesitancy in her voice he's not use to hearing and honestly he doesn't really know how to answer. He knows what she's insinuating, but he's been avoiding it for too long to come out and say it. He merely tightens his grip on her hand and hopes that it is enough for now.


	3. There He Goes

April is full of flowers. Well, cherry blossoms to be exact. When she comes to visit him, he spends the first few minutes smiling broadly (like he still can't believe this is real), as she sits with her back against his chest and plucks each one from her hair, littering his new dorm floor with a light dusting of pink petals.

"It's nice," she says, her eyes wandering. There are unopened boxes still waiting to be unpacked but priorities are priorities.

He runs his fingers through her hair and she tries not to close her eyes. "Samezuka was nice, this is better."

She hums her acknowledgment, eyes sliding closed. _It isn't fair,_ she thinks, slouching a bit, but she's not angry. She's too content to be angry.

"Say, Kou," he begins as his hands gently gather her hair back into its ponytail.

"Hmm?" she hums, resting her head back against his shoulder once his hands finish.

"Want to go on a journey?"

She laughs, low, and leans further into him. "It took me a journey and a half to get here. I think I'm journeyed out."

He makes a low rumbling sound in his throat, one she can feel travel through his chest. "I'll carry you."

She's glad her eyes are closed. She never did learn how to ignore those puppy dog eyes. "Tempting..."

"Please."

She tilts her head back, opening her eyes to the image of his face smiling hopefully down at her. There's no saying no to that, so she sighs, gathering her thoughts, and smiles. "Alright, let's go."

His smile widens and he places kiss upon her lips, one she can't help but reciprocate. Though it isn't long before he's shooing her off the bed. "Up, up!" he says, placing a gentle hand at the small of her back to coax her off the mattress.

She standing before she knows it, still a little groggy, and after a moment he's herding her out the door. But not before she makes a hasty grab for the Samezuka jacket draped over his desk chair and quickly throws it on over her sweater. It's still a bit cold in April after all.

"Don't expect to get it back this time." she says softly, avoiding his eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

She falls asleep on the train so suddenly that when she wakes up to Seijuurou's prodding it feels like she hasn't slept at all. "C'mon," he urges, gathering her hand in his and tugging gently. She follows.

Once out on the street, he flashes her a silly grin before he kneels down, "I made a promise, didn't I?"

She makes no move to argue as she wraps her arms loosely about his neck (sternly telling her hands not to wander) and when he stands his broad arms hook themselves around her legs.

"Ready to go, Captain?" he asks as her treacherous hands start to lightly trace the line of his collarbone.

"Yup," she mumbles, her eyes closing as he sets down the road.

It's a moment or two, perhaps more (she's not really paying attention at the moment), that the smell of salt water wafts into her nose. It's a nostalgic smell, one that reminds her of home, her family, and of the day that had changed it all. The day he stood there just outside her home, a blush creeping up his cheeks, stubbornly holding the umbrella over her head even as droplets of rain rolled off its surface and dripped onto his shirt. He probably thinks he looked silly, but to her at that moment he couldn't of looked more handsome.

She doesn't believe in love at first sight, not with her tendencies, but it becomes aware to her that he had charmed his way into her graces long before that moment on the front steps. It was smile, after smile, after smile, which brought her to where she is now – holding on and hoping he doesn't let go.

"Sei," she begins, her voice soft and quiet as the tolls of being the manager of four energetic young men slowly catches up to her (Iwatobi is doing well, and she likes to think it's because of the work she does).

"Yes, Captain?" his voice is soft as well.

"We got this," she says, but the 'don't we?' she's left unsaid hangs in the air.

"Of course," he replies, not missing a beat, turning his head to smile at her.

She lifts her head from where it rests on his back to place a small kiss on his cheek, and she hopes that it is enough for now.

* * *

May is full of failures. Missed calls and canceled meetings. She decides not to dwell on it. Work doesn't get done by itself, and she figures time is bound to pass by quicker if she's focused. She always calls him before practices starts, though, a hope bubbling in her chest that he'll pick up and she'll be able to tell him just how well she's doing, but he usually doesn't. He's a busy guy living his dream, while she's trying to get out of hers.


	4. Fancy Seeing You Here

June comes and goes like a flicker of light and a cool breeze and she hears about him in just about the same way - from the newspaper and online sites - but when she sees that small envelope in the corner of the screen on her phone, she can't help but smile.

"Kicking ass and taking names. They ain't no match for me," says one.

"Just wait till you see me, Captain," says another.

She can see his smile, that goofy grin that no matter the time or place, rain or shine, always made her happy and it's almost like he never left.

* * *

He finds that old habits are hard to break. He's no longer captain, so when he's caught staring at the door to the swimming area, waiting, it is he who has to do a ten lap punishment swim. It takes his mind off things if nothing else, but the concentration it takes to swim crumbles by the first turn and not a second later he's thinking of red hair, bright eyes, and a smile that is second to none.

"We got this," he remembers her saying, her breath tickling his neck, and when he finally finishes, he tries not to look at the bleachers, tries not to not get excited when he sees a flash of red in the corner of his eyes and his lips begin to form her name before he has the chance to stop. He tries and fails.

* * *

July is busy for her. High school prefecture tournaments are just around the corner and Iwatobi is in the swing of things. It's their second year now and everyone is a little bit more focused, a little bit faster, and more than ready to win. She is as well. There is a fire in her that refuses to be extinguished. She'll see to it that it burns throughout the summer and she will kick the butt of whoever tries to stop her.

* * *

He calls her every Thursday after practice. Things are slowing down and he wants nothing more than to hear her voice. "Captain," he says – breathes – and he can't help but to recall the moment where that nickname took hold.

It had slipped out, meant almost as a tease and half mocking, just so he could see her riled up, but she merely looked at him with an arched brow. "I'm the manager, Seijuurou," she said somewhat teasingly back, "Not the captain."

But when he said it again, this time silently in his head, her eyes and the fire just beyond their depths captured him. She could tell him to do anything and he'd reply with nothing less than, 'Your wish is my command.'

"Then I'll give you my title," he said, taking hold of her hands. "What do you say, Captain?"

She sighed, somewhat exasperated, but she was smiling. "Fine, but that means I get to wear the jacket."

* * *

"What are you up to next Friday?" He tries not to sound excited, but his stomach is bubbly and he feels like he is about to explode.

"Uh, practice until five but other than that nothing really."

"I see."

She can practically see him smiling, "Why? What are you planning, Sei?"

"Nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You can't bring something like that up and not explain."

She hears him curse under his breath, "I gotta go, the man in charge is looking at me. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Okay," her voices drifts off as the line goes blank.

* * *

Friday is here before she knows it, rolling in quietly like the morning tide. It's warm and humid to the point that by the time practices rolls around, the Samezuka jacket she has been known to wear on more than one occasion to the Iwatobi swim practices is folded and placed neatly far away from the pool's edge. She finds herself glancing toward it every so often to make sure it's still where she left it and it is. It always is.

It's not like she gets distracted easily, but before she knows it, the boys have vacated the pool and stand just near the exit, changed and ready to go nearly thirty minutes ahead of schedule.

"Well, Gou, we'll catch ya later," Nagisa says, tugging at a rather disgruntled Haru and casting Makoto and Rei weird glances that she's not sure she wants to decipher.

"What? So early? There's a tournament coming up soon; you guys shouldn't be off gallivanting." She admonishes.

"Don't worry, we'll jog to the supermarket," Nagisa smiles widely, nudging Haru in the ribs with his elbow.

"The supermarket?" she asks, her brows furrowing.

"Yeah. Sale on mackerel – it's very important." Haru adds, but there is something about his voice she can't place.

She presses her thumb to her temple, trying to ward off an oncoming headache, "I don't think all four of you need to go help Haru buy mackerel."

The looks on their faces is both amusing and infuriating, and she huffs, blowing the bangs from her eyes. "Fine," she pouts, "But be prepared to work super hard on Monday."

"Thank you, super manager Gou!" Nagisa exclaims, bowing low, before quickly herding everyone down the steps and out of sight.

"It's Kou," she whispers.

It's quiet without them here, too silent and too stagnant, and as she wanders around the pool gathering the things they left scattered about in their hasty retreat for mackerel, she wishes they had turned around and offered that she join them. Not that she believes them and their idiotic excuse or anything. The fliers for this week said nothing about mackerel.

It's when she's at the far corner of the pool, reaching for a stranded kickboard that something catches her attention, and she stands in a quick flourish, her breath hitching in her throat.

He just stands there by the steps, a grin so wide that it practically reaches his ears, as one hand raises in an enthusiastic wave, "Fancy seeing you here."

She finds that words fail her. They are unimportant and superfluous, so she smiles. Smiles so wide that her cheeks hurt and an unfamiliar prickle tickles the corner of her eyes. She turns away from him for a moment to sniff loudly and rub her eyes with the back of her hands, before turning back to him.

"Sei," she says, "Everything is fancy with you."

It doesn't register in her mind that he closes the distance between them (running really) until his arms are about her waist and her feet no longer touch the ground. His laugh is low and rumbling as she wraps her arms around his neck and presses the side of her face into his chest. The result is a tighter hug, and she laughs in spite of the pain, which isn't really pain to begin with. It's more of a sigh – like reaching the surface after too much time underwater. That moment where breathing just feels so good.

His grip loosens, but he rocks from side to side in an awkward dance as he feels the familiar ghosting of her fingers over the back of his neck. His cheeks are flushed, though so are hers, and he presses his lips to her forehead as a laugh spills from hers.

"We got this," she says into his shirt as the laugh fades from her lips, and that's all she really needs to say.

* * *

**AN: And that's that for this story. Hope you enjoyed! **


End file.
